Many dishes have a more distinct flavor and aroma when being cooked at high heat, but high temperature isn’t good for using with a non-stick pan. In most cases, the non-stick coating will break at 500° F and emit toxic smoke, harming both pets and people.
To cook at a high temperature safely, you should buy the best non-stick pan for high heat because it can endure this heat range to add more flavor to your dishes.
Here are the best nonstick pans for high heat you can buy in 2024:
- Best For Even Heat Distribution (Frying Pan): All-Clad
- Best For Browning (Frying Pan): PRANZOELITE
- Best For Pancake (Frying Pan): TIBORANG
- Best For Steak (Grill Pan): NutriChef
- Best For Fish (Grill Pan): All-Clad
- Best For Hamburgers (Grill Pan): Slitree
- Best For Soup & Stew (Others): DaTerra Cucina
- Best For Pasta (Others): HexClad
| 8 Best Nonstick Pans For High Heat | ||
|---|---|---|
Best For Even Heat Distribution | All-Clad
| |
Best For Browning | PRANZOELITE
| |
Best For Pancake | TIBORANG
| |
Best For Steak | NutriChef
| |
Best For Fish | All-Clad
| |
Best For Hamburgers | Slitree
| |
Best For Soup & Stew | DaTerra Cucina
| |
Best For Pasta | HexClad
| |
Best For Even Heat Distribution: All-Clad
- Solid quality in both design and weight
- Easy to use and clean
- Sturdy handles
- Easy to scratch if using with metal utensils
- Heavy
The All-Clad frying pan is made from hard-anodized aluminum that heats faster and evenly. Although aluminum can provide a greatly even heat distribution, some people worry that the metal can leach into their food when the surface is worn. This is the reason why the All-Clad manufacturer has applied a hard-anodized surface into their pan to keep this unexpected case from happening.
| All-Clad Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 8 and 10-Inch |
Depth | 1-7/8 |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | Heavy-gauge, hard-anodized cookware 3 layers of safe, PFOA-free nonstick Anti-warp stainless-steel base Riveted stainless steel handles |
All-Clad Frying Pan can help you cook your food quickly and evenly without leaving any hot or cold spots.
Best For Browning: PRANZOELITE
- Scratch-resistant
- Easy to clean
- Affordable
- Dishwasher-safe
- Small size
Most people recommend stainless steel or cast-iron skillets for browning meat because they can brown your meat quickly and evenly at high heat. If you are looking for a cheaper version with similar features, consider the PRANZOELITE frying pan is made from cast aluminum.
Though this material doesn’t hold heat well, it is more lightweight and quicker to heat compared to cast iron. Of course, this cast aluminum pan still can evenly cook your meat for a well-brown surface without having any too hot or cold spots.
| PRANZOELITE Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 11 inches |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | Die Cast Aluminum 4.5mm thick base PFOA-free nonstick coating A tempered glass lid and a nonslip handle |
PRANZOELITE frying pan allows you to cook a well-brown cut of meat like what a cast-iron skillet can do but at a more reasonable price.
Best For Pancake: TIBORANG
- Cute and beautiful look
- Easy to put together and clean
- Easy to hold the pan
- Small pan
The TIBORANG frying pan has 4 layers. While the ceramic non-stick layer keeps your pancakes from sticking into the pan, the other 3 internal layers help your pan heat quickly and evenly. Its aluminum material has a great ability to conduct heat.
Plus, there is a temperature indicator in the front end, showing you when the oil is more than 140℃ (red color turns into white color). You don’t have to be a pro to determine when your pancake is cooked well or burnt.
Another reason for a burnt pancake is the high temperature. People usually cook their pancakes at low to medium heat so that they can be well cooked and the aluminum material can meet this requirement.
Finally, this pan is lightweight, so you can straightforwardly hold it with one hand and flip your pancake.
| TIBORANG Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 8 inches |
Depth | 1.35 inches |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | A temperature indicator Stay Cool Bakelite Handle Designed with diamond pattern Stainless steel 5-layer compound bottom |
TIBORANG Frying Pan is an ideal option to cook pancakes for beginners because of its automatic features and functions.
Grill Pan
Best For Steak: NutriChef
- Durable and sturdy
- Easy to clean
- Heat evenly
- Although this pan is dishwasher-safe, you should handwash it to last the pan life.
The special feature of the NutriChef Grill pan is its ridged surface that leaves seared grill marks on your steak after grilling. It seems just to make your steak more appetizing, but this design can improve your food taste as well.
Unlike speed-bump pans, making your steak steamed at the bottom, this pan with distinct ridges can raise your steak at a higher position to minimize the steam buildup.
| NutriChef Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 11 inches |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | A high ridged line cooking surface Heat safe up to 500° F Ergonomic strong riveted handles A heavy-gauge aluminum body |
NutriChef Grill Pan gives you delicious steaks in terms of both looks and tastes thanks to its ridged surface.
Best For Fish: All-Clad
- Easy to clean and use
- Beautifully finished
- A bit heavy
Unlike thick steaks, fish cuts are pretty thin so using the wrong pan can break your fish cut into small pieces. The All-Clad Grill Pan features 3 layers of nonstick coat that allows you to slide right off your fish cuts easily without adding extra oil.
| All-Clad Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 13" x 20" |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | Heavy-gauge, hard-anodized cookware 3 layers of safe, PFOA-free nonstick Securely riveted stainless steel handles |
All-Clad Grill Pan works great to cook any thin cuts like fish thanks to its 3 layers of nonstick coat.
Best For Hamburgers: Slitree
- Fast to heat up
- Even to distribute
- Easy to lift the handle because the pan is lightweight
- Easy to clean
- Small size
It’s ideal to grill your hamburgers with the Slitree Cast Iron Grill Pans because this material brings many benefits that the traditional methods can’t do.
You must spend a lot of time and effort on your part to clean a mess after cooking fatty burger patties on a grill. Meanwhile, you can easily remove burnt bits and grease from this nonstick pan through its 2 side drip spouts.
When cooking on an open grate, the fat will fall into the grill, hitting a flame and causing a flare-up. This is dangerous to your health and toasts your Bunger’s outside more than what you want. This won’t happen if you use the Slitree which will trap the fat to keep it from falling into the heat source. It means that you will cook the burgers with their fat, preserving the beef flavor for juicier burgers.
| Slitree Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 11 inches |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | Multipurpose cast iron ribbed skillet |
Slitree Grill Pan helps you cook well and tasty burgers, and deal with the drawbacks of cooking with a grill.
Best For Soup & Stew: DaTerra Cucina
- Easy to clean
- Safe to use
- Lightweight
- A bit more expensive
Using a pan to cook soup and stew seems strange but it’s possible. The DaTera Cucina pan is made from heat-resistant material that can hold the heat (up to 450° F) for a long time and distribute it evenly.
Unlike the short sidewalls of other pans, this model is 16 x 8.5 x 5 inches in size, so it can hold 3 quarts of liquid.
| DaTerra Cucina Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 16 x 8.5 x 5 inches |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | Professional-grade, ceramic-coated saucepan Heat-resistant materials The cool-touch silicone handle |
DaTerra Cucina pan allows you to cook different dishes including soup, stew, frying, even making candy.
Best For Pasta: HexClad
- Scratch-resistant
- Easy to clean up
- Durable and well-constructed
- Extremely expensive
Unlike shallow pans for frying foods, the HexClad pan is wide and deep enough to allow you to stir and toss pasta without sloshing it onto your stovetop easily. Moreover, this pan comes with a lid that is useful to shorten the waiting time for the water to boil. In sum, you can complete your pasta with only one pan.
| HexClad Specifications | |
|---|---|
Size | 14 inches |
Compatible Stovetops | Yes |
Highlight Features | Hexclad patented technology Tri-ply construction Stay-cool handles |
HexClad pan can cook many dishes with a pretty large amount of content without sloshing.
How To Choose The Best Nonstick Pan For High Heat?
Is PFOA A Considerable Feature?
PFOA emits toxic fumes at a high temperature (above 500°F), causing flu-like symptoms and fever, even PFOA is considered carcinogenic. So, it’s best to pick up a PFOA-free pan.
Which Pan Can Produce Even Heat Distribution?
You should buy a pan that can uniformly heat throughout the pan’s surface without causing any hot and cold spots. If not, your food will be browning or burning in some areas and uncooked in other areas.
How To Choose A Uniform Heat-Distributed Pan?
Normally, a pan with a flat surface can evenly distribute heat. It’s difficult for the oil and butter to reach the entire surface of a convex-shaped pan, making your foods stick to the surface.
Which Handle Material Is The Best For High Heat Cooking?
I strongly recommend stainless steel handles that can deal with a high-temperature oven. Meanwhile, Bakelite and silicone handles will deform at high temperatures.
Do You Prefer A Lightweight To A Heavy Pan?
Some people love wrist flipping of the pan and it’s difficult to do this activity with a heavy pan, So, a pan with moderate weight and good balance is always the top choice. This is an ideal solution for those who have weak wrists.
Which Material Is The Best?
Hard materials won’t release harmful chemicals when being cooked at high heat. Some of them include carbon steel, stainless, and cast iron. Besides, anodized aluminum and cast pans are durable and quick to conduct heat.
How Much Money Can You Spend On A Non-stick Pan?
Whether you have a huge or tight budget, never invest in a too expensive pan.
Why not?
You have a lot of money and you want to make a long-term investment.
Even if you spend a large amount of money on a non-stick pan, you can’t use it for more than 5 years. The non-stick coat of even the most expensive and high-end pan will lose over time.
Which Brands Make The Best Nonstick Pan For High Heat?
Pranzoelite
This cookware company was founded in 1985, providing high-quality and well-designed products. Whether you choose a domestic or world-class product line, their models are made from top-grade materials and applied to advanced R&D technology.
FAQs
What temp is too high for a non-stick pan?
Over 260 °C (500 °F) is too high for a non-stick pan. This temperature range discolors the surface’s non-stick coating. In some cases, it can lose the nonstick properties of the nonstick surface.
How do I know if my frying pan is oven-safe?
Checking the bottom of the frying pan can determine if it’s oven-safe or not because all of the oven-proof frying pans come with a symbol on the bottom, showing you that your pan is oven-proof.
Can stainless steel pans withstand high heat?
The stainless steel pan has an indestructible look, which can withstand high temperatures without rusting and chipping. Even it won’t break when dropping on a hard floor.
Is high heat bad for pans?
Unluckily, exposing your non-stick pan to high heat for a long time can damage its coating over time. Even a cheap and bad-quality pan can release harmful toxins.
When should you throw away non-stick pans?
You should throw away your nonstick pan when having the following signs:
Warping
A warped pan won’t badly affect your health, but this condition isn’t good for your food quality. An uneven surface can’t cook food uniformly. You need to replace a new pan to make sure that all of your foods are cooked at the same temperature.
Discoloration
The discoloration is built up by food over time. While light discoloration isn’t a big problem, dark discoloration requires you to change a new pan. If not, the nonstick coating can damage your health.
Significant Scratches
A scratched pan can release chemicals into your food. To be safe, you need to replace your scratched model.
Conclusion
The best non-stick for high heat must endure high heat without losing its nutrient value of food. Of course, your food must be cooked well and even and you don’t need to add too much oil and butter.
